West Ealing
The £155m transformation of West Ealing’s Green Man Lane estate, led by Rydon in partnership with A2Dominion, has created a brand new building for St. John’s Primary School. This is part of the expansion of the school and forms an additional phase to the estate’s continued redevelopment.
Ealing Council planners unanimously approved proposals to completely rebuild St John’s Primary School, a popular and well regarded local school that has seen its headcount continue to grow in recent years. The old building has been replaced with a larger, modern, three form entry school designed by architecture and design practice Conran and Partners.
The approved proposal has seen land adjacent to the school allocated for the new facility, enabling the original St John’s Primary School to remain fully open throughout construction and for a smooth transition to the new premises.
Funding was provided by Ealing Council and is being subsidised by releasing the existing school site to Rydon and A2Dominion for development, providing a further 55 new private sale homes, as part of an additional phase of the Green Man Lane redevelopment. The permission includes 37 affordable homes that will form part of the Green Man Lane estate.
The new building provides places for 630 pupils, 210 more than the previous building, plus an expanded 100 place nursery and provision for 25 pupils from across the borough with speech and language difficulties. There is also a rooftop play area as part of the three storey development.
Councillor Binda Rai, cabinet member for children and young people, said: “Ealing Council is committed to providing a good quality education for local children and this investment in the rebuild and expansion of St John’s Primary is the latest in a long line of projects designed to ensure that we have sufficient places to meet the needs of our growing population.
“Our children and school staff deserve the best and the designs of two of our local schools were recently judged amongst the best in London by the Royal Institute of British Architects. I am pleased to say that the St John’s project is following in their footsteps with plans for an innovative rooftop playground design and a modern and bright learning environment.”
Tom Rigby, Development Director of Rydon Construction, added: “Green Man Lane’s innovative regeneration is providing high quality homes, community space and now a much bigger and purpose built new school building for West Ealing. The funds generated by the release of the additional housing land will ensure St John’s Primary School can accommodate the growing and diverse needs of the local community, whilst providing good value for Ealing Council.”
Lee Davies, director of Conran and Partners and the architect of the new Green Man Lane community, said: “The neighbourhood will now get a modern building that will give local children the very best place to learn and will play a central role in the life of the community.
“We spent a lot of time listening and developing ideas in partnership with the school to give pupils and staff something that both reflects and adds to the great vibrancy and energy of the area.”
The architecture and design practice, founded by Sir Terence Conran, has brought its respected ideals of design to create a bright, modern centre of learning for young people.
Conran and Partners’ design incorporates a natural palette of quality materials that matches the school’s desire for a building to provide a true backdrop for the colour and vibrancy of the children and their work.
For more information on the continued regeneration of Green Man Lane’s regeneration, click here.